The Benefits Of Crying
I can honestly say that I have never cried so much in my life before I had depression. Until recently I also suffered from crying spells, those were the worst. They would seem to come with no good reason leaving me feeling confused and powerless. But fortunately I haven’t had those in a while. But every now and then, no matter how big or small something always tends to get my anxiety revving up and push me over the edge making me cry out of frustration. And when I’m frustrated it takes me a long time to articulate my feelings, which then make me even more anxious and frustrated. Sometimes, I would think, damn, wtf am I crying so much for and I still feel like crying has a bad stigma. It makes you seem weak or too sensitive. But I never really thought that myself and now I definitely don’t feel that way at all.
“To weep is to make less the depth of grief.”
When you cut yourself you’ll bleed. So if you’re emotionally “harmed” then there’s bound to be some kind of reaction. It’s not considered weak to bleed after an injury so why is it not ok to cry after an emotional upheaval?
Emotions don’t always make sense, but by fully immersing yourself in your emotions, whether that results in crying or not, can help you find the reason behind your tears. And when you’re aware of the issue that requires your attention, you can then take action to find the solution for that which is causing you stress. Until recently I had no idea that crying actually has benefits!
Crying is a form of communication
Vulnerability helps us connect with others. Crying expresses what words can’t, especially in a relationship. When one person starts to cry the direction of the conversation shifts to the emotional view and can stop a fight, emphasize a point and make clear the emotions behind the conversation.
Crying releases toxins
Crying is not just an emotional release it can physically cleanse us too. Tears that are produced by stress help the body get rid of chemicals that raise cortisol (the stress hormone). It’s been found that like exhaling, urinating, and sweating, toxic substances are released from the body when we cry. Several of the chemicals found in emotional crying are the protein prolactin, adrenocorticotropic hormones, and the endorphin leucine-enkephalin, which reduces pain.
“What soap is for the body, tears are for the soul.”
Crying improves vision
When the membranes of the eyes are dehydrated, our eyesight can become a little blurry. Tears produced by the lacrimal gland can clear up our vision by lubricating the eyeballs and eyelids. According to the National Eye Institute, tears bathe the surface of our eye keeping it moist preventing dehydration of various mucous membranes.
Crying kills bacteria
Apparently, tears contain lysozyme a fluid that is also found in human milk, semen, mucus, and saliva and can kill 90 to 95 percent of all bacteria in just five to 10 minutes. Lysozyme kills certain bacteria by destroying bacteria cell walls (the outer shell that provides a protective coating).
Crying improves your mood
A 2008 study from the University of South Florida found crying to be self-soothing and can elevate mood better than any antidepressant. Crying improved the mood of 90 percent of criers in contrast to the eight percent who said crying made them feel worse. Unfortunately, those with anxiety or mood disorders were less likely to experience the positive effects of crying.
Crying is a safe release of stress
Crying is a healthier way of releasing tension and stress than say punching a wall or repressing negative emotions, which can lead to health problems such as high blood pressure and migraines. Crying can provide an intense feeling of release even if our circumstances stay the same. As it’s already known that crying helps release stress hormones and toxins from our body it’s definitely the safest and most effective way to deal with stress and negative feelings.
“…you know that a good, long session of weeping can often make you feel better, even if your circumstances have not changed one bit.”
I’m not sure to what degree crying can actually improve vision, that one is dubious. But I definitely feel like sometimes crying is like taking a big emotional dump. You feel lighter and cleaner and less weighed down. I thought this was a good topic especially during the Christmas season, when emotions run higher than usual with the pressure from those around us (not to mention the media) to be jolly and cheerful. Christmas is an emotional time as families gather and do whatever families do and people begin to reflect upon the past year and think about the New Year ahead and all they wish it to be. So even though this is stereotypically the time when people watch ‘Elf’ or my personal favourite ‘The Nightmare before Christmas’, I thought it would be a good time to watch films that just make you cry your eyes out. To really cleanse your emotional body of all the hidden feelings you might be carrying with you from the past year. Here are my recommendations if you want to have a good cry before Christmas and be clean, pure and ready to take on the New Year.
